Today is Joel's second full day in ICU. He remains in critical but stable condition. We have been told that with this new stroke he had, the symptoms are a little different. The first time the worst of the swelling was over in 3 days-this time we have been told it can be up to 10 days. He has quite a bit of swelling now. We can see it because the portion where his skull was removed is where the swelling goes. Yesterday they put in a PICC line to help with drawing blood etc more easily. They are still using his chemo port to inject medicine but the new PICC will help them to draw blood.
Here's a few things specifically to pray for.

-That Joel stays stable and improves over the next few days with no more major health events
-That the body will remove the clot on its own, and that the bleeding and swelling will stop
-That his respiratory rates stay stable while on the vent, and that he does not develop pneumonia, like he did last time
-The 2 areas they have told us that this stroke can affect the most are eyesight and the ability to swallow. Please pray that neither of these areas are affected.

We have covered Joel's room in scriptures that proclaim Gods ability to heal. I write them on the whiteboard in his room and I hang it up on his walls. We have worship music on continually in his room to change the atmosphere.

Last night my Mom and I were talking about how weird it is that out of 30 rooms in the ICU Joel ended up in the very same one as before. I felt like God spoke to my heart and told me that it was because that is the room where He restored Joel the first time. I have had conversations with nurses and yesterday with his main nuero doctor who have all told me that they didn't expect Joel to live after his first stroke. They were all surprised that he was able to fight back from that and be well enough to go to rehab. And I told them if he did it once he can do it again. Yes, I know what things look like in the natural, but I also know that God is a God of miracles. He's the same God that when the Israelite's had a sea before them and their enemies at their back-He parted those seas for them. And in many ways we are at that same crossroads where the only path out of this is for God to make the way and part the seas before us-but the best part is He's done it once and He can do it again.

Exodus 14:13-14-NIV
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Take Heart-Hillsong United
There is a light
It burns brighter than the sun
He steals the night
And casts no shadow
There is hope
Should oceans rise and mountains fall
He never fails

So take heart
Let His love lead us through the night
Hold on to hope
And take courage again

In death by love
The fallen world was overcome
He wears the scars of our freedom
In His Name
All our fears are swept away
He never fails

All our troubles
And all our tears
God our hope
He has overcome

All our failure
And all our fear
God our love
He has overcome
All our heartache
And all our pain
God our healer
He has overcome

Sarah Rodriguez Rhodes

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Ellis Update: Today was a hard morning, guys. We got to the hospital & things just felt all wrong. I don’t know how to explain it other than that. Then the anesthesiologist had issues with some secretions Ellis was having that we were told amplified her risk during the surgery while under anesthesia. Given the past things we’ve walked through, we just decided it wasn’t a risk we were at all willing to take. So we made the decision to go home, re-group & do the surgery another day. Since the surgery is elective we had our medical teams full support in this decision. We are home now & doing well. This wasn’t an easy decision to make. For months we’ve prepared mentally, emotionally, schedule-wise, financially etc for this day. But we have to be lead by peace. And if those giving her medical care also weren’t completely at peace, it just wasn’t the right time, for whatever reason. I don’t always understand the “why” but I won’t always & I’m ok with that. We appreciate your prayers & promise to keep you informed of when her surgery will be in the coming months. Also, the day wasn’t a complete loss...Ellis did get to hang with the cute hospital dog-so at least that part was a win ☺️ Looking for some kind of humor-it’s been a rough day.

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